Trends that Will Impact Supermarket Retailers in 2015

Chain Store Age has identified some trends that will impact supermarket retailers in the coming year.

1. Data-Driven Insight Spills Over to Back-of-House

Not only are retailers investing in data to cultivate closer customer relationships, they are also using data to reduce energy use and maintenance spending, which in turn has helped some retailers to achieve more competitive pricing. While supermarket retailers have primarily focused on low-hanging fruit, such as reducing energy use through LED lighting retrofits and advanced refrigeration rack control algorithms, the next wave of energy efficiency initiatives will focus on combining data to better invest their maintenance budgets.

2. Safe and Secure Data Access

Information and network security are top-of-mind concerns for retailers. As a result, extracting data from facility management systems has become increasingly complex. Retailers who understand their enterprise operations and use vendors who share an awareness of network security challenges will help retailers maintain security while also fulfilling their information needs.

3. Increase in Outsourcing

In addition to outsoursing non-core functions, retailers are increasingly outsourcing complex internal support services such as facilities management. By allowing a third party to manage energy and maintenance data, retailers are able to access a much more robust view of their enterprise operations and leverage that data in more meaningful ways.